new rock found.! sketchy.... so the plan is to fly in there with a really large rack, find some place to stay, and put up tons of new routes on virgin granite right? who's coming with me? but wait it's China.....bring the bolt gun if ya want.and pebble wrestlers are welcome too.

To some extent I agree, the Chinese mountaineering association might not see it's climbing potential. Chinese climbers, like most climbers, tend to focus on area after the first few routes have gone up. Not many are willing to venture to anew area unless they know climbers have done something there.

looks like a fantastic place and i might be willing to go to the area. I read about it a couple months ago in the Alpine Club news letter. Contacted many of my active climbing contact in China, no one knew of any climbing there yet. A few ex-pats I know were up for the adventure if I organized a trip, so I just might.

Bringing a large rack would be a good start, but I would not leave the drill and bolts behind. Not all granite formation are littered with cracks like Yosemite.

I would most likely write about it on my personal blog or my climbing blog. I would just post a link here.

I have to say, everywhere I go in China is full of untouched climbing potential. This is just one small area in a big country full of options. Climbing is growing very quickly in China. The sport has exploded in the last few years, so we're going to see and here much more about areas other than Youngshuo in China soon.

Me, I am keeping my eye open for a job in Guangzhou. If a position come open, my wife and I are jumping on it. Plenty of climbing in the ara to keep us busy for awhile. China is a nice place to live if you're a foreigner.

The location is out of the way, even by Chinese standards. Book an extra month of holidays to be on the safe side, in case of logistical hangups. (Tilman and Shipton were exploring in that area in the late 1940s.)

The article said travelling in Xinjiang is dangerous right now. I suspect that's greatly exaggerated. The riots in Urumqi, even though about 100 were killed, were very much race-based and confined to a few streets. I don't see a great risk to Western travellers, who will be spending much of their time at the local airports, train stations and bus stations, all of which are heavily policed.

The biggest risk in the Far West, I would say, is getting clean water. There are a lot of powerful intestinal bugs out there that can leave you very sick. (I speak from experience.)

As for getting permission, I recommend you invite the pertinent officials out to a lavish banquet in order to discuss the matter. (If the officials aren't pertinent enough, you may have to arrange further banquets up the chain of command.)

I lived in China in 1983 and 1984 and have said for years that that country has the greatest unexplored climbing potential in the world.

The location is out of the way, even by Chinese standards. Book an extra month of holidays to be on the safe side, in case of logistical hangups. (Tilman and Shipton were exploring in that area in the late 1940s.)

The article said travelling in Xinjiang is dangerous right now. I suspect that's greatly exaggerated. The riots in Urumqi, even though about 100 were killed, were very much race-based and confined to a few streets. I don't see a great risk to Western travellers, who will be spending much of their time at the local airports, train stations and bus stations, all of which are heavily policed.

The biggest risk in the Far West, I would say, is getting clean water. There are a lot of powerful intestinal bugs out there that can leave you very sick. (I speak from experience.)

As for getting permission, I recommend you invite the pertinent officials out to a lavish banquet in order to discuss the matter. (If the officials aren't pertinent enough, you may have to arrange further banquets up the chain of command.)

I lived in China in 1983 and 1984 and have said for years that that country has the greatest unexplored climbing potential in the world.

It's agreed, then. We all meet up in China and tear the place across. Rc.com takes china by STORM!!!!

We should name any new peaks we bag "SPCI" "Worst photos" "OBET Jerkz can suck my freshly waxed balls" and "Ask the n00b".

But, uhh... We need some people who speak the local tongue and all that.

Edit to add: While this post was a piss-take on the surface, in reality I would love to make it out there. I'm just trying to decide if I can justify it financially or time wise. And if I would be, like, experianced enough and stuff. Thanks for the new daydream / google and wiki topic.

It's agreed, then. We all meet up in China and tear the place across. Rc.com takes china by STORM!!!!

We should name any new peaks we bag "SPCI" "Worst photos" "OBET Jerkz can suck my freshly waxed balls" and "Ask the n00b".

But, uhh... We need some people who speak the local tongue and all that.

Edit to add: While this post was a piss-take on the surface, in reality I would love to make it out there. I'm just trying to decide if I can justify it financially or time wise. And if I would be, like, experianced enough and stuff. Thanks for the new daydream / google and wiki topic.

I gotta few names...

"soloing with a rope" "just try on some shoes" " too many n00bs, a.k.a STFU please"

but seriously, Im heading back to the states in a couple months, but Id look into in a year or two. Ive always wanted to go to China. It could be possible that nothing happens there for a while. It is nice to think about though.

I went there in Oct 2007 with my wife and a few friends while we were living in China. We had heard from the China Climb guys in Yangshou that no one had climbed out there (which the locals there told us as well) and when they attempted, they got kicked out because of the ‘required permits’. We blew a whole day between Fuyun and some other little town talking to various Police and Military to get permits, but all we got was our passports photocopied 30 times and told to ‘Check out’ when we left. Ever had all your gear dumped out on a mountain road by a guy with an AK-47 while some other guy drives off with your passport??? Good times, let me tell you.

Was hands down one of the best climbing trips I’ve made it Asia as an experience, but we were really ill-equipped for the climbing. We went with a massive trad rack, but only a hand drill, a few bolts, and a small selection of pins. You WILL want a power drill, a way to charge batteries, and a metric sh** ton of bolts and drill bits. Pins work well but most of the cracks are bottoming. Lots of cool face climbing and bring your Slab A-game. Most of the crack systems are wide and rounded as well. Very large and sharp crystalline granite, tape and Carhartts for sure. We managed to established one route, two pitches before it snowed and shut us down… Nothing there is as tall as the Valley. Most features would go in 3-5 Pitches.

Two pitches in a week, then we headed to Kargar further southwest.

We took gear to camp but managed to find some locals with an extra Yurt which cost us next to nothing and we even shared some diners (+ drinking) with the locals… Lamb kebabs are the local street food and very good…

They were paving the road into the canyon when we were there, (confirmed complete now by some google earth picture posts) and in classic Chinese tourism fashion I’m sure the place has changed significantly because of it. (at minimum hoards of flag waving tour groups now…)

I have a ton of photos and other details if anyone is serious about going. If you’ve not traveled in rural china and don’t speak (or bring someone to) Chinese, it’s not like rolling up to your local craig. I’d be up for going agian, but probably can’t swing it until next year because of a planned trip climbing trip to Mongolia this summer.

It's agreed, then. We all meet up in China and tear the place across. Rc.com takes china by STORM!!!!

We should name any new peaks we bag "SPCI" "Worst photos" "OBET Jerkz can suck my freshly waxed balls" and "Ask the n00b".

But, uhh... We need some people who speak the local tongue and all that.

Edit to add: While this post was a piss-take on the surface, in reality I would love to make it out there. I'm just trying to decide if I can justify it financially or time wise. And if I would be, like, experianced enough and stuff. Thanks for the new daydream / google and wiki topic.

It's agreed, then. We all meet up in China and tear the place across. Rc.com takes china by STORM!!!!

We should name any new peaks we bag "SPCI" "Worst photos" "OBET Jerkz can suck my freshly waxed balls" and "Ask the n00b".

But, uhh... We need some people who speak the local tongue and all that.

Edit to add: While this post was a piss-take on the surface, in reality I would love to make it out there. I'm just trying to decide if I can justify it financially or time wise. And if I would be, like, experianced enough and stuff. Thanks for the new daydream / google and wiki topic.

I have enough Chinese to get us around there. I also kown one or two climber in China that I ight be able to convince during the summer months.

This could be a reality for the summer of 2011 for me. June/July. Of course, turing post on RC.com into a real climbing trip is almost impossible. Loads of people want to climb until it's time to actually do it.

I find it helps my climbing to have wild aspirations to work towards.I certainly daydreamed a LOT about the Bugaboos, and I managed to find myself there - and hot damn was it good. I figure the more something occupies your mind the more you will work towards it both consciously and subconsciously. Dream of big walls and you will naturally start paying more attention to rope systems etc. (even while watching a climbing film or something).